Genentech

Wet Lab Intern

June - September 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I loved the atmosphere of Genentech! you never felt like you were moving amongst some of the brightest and most highly qualified minds in the industry. I also loved how my work was "mission critical", and I was making meaningful contributions to their research; My work comprised of conducting crucial wet lab techniques. I was trained by Phd's who taught me to develop insight into the experiment and understand the overall implications of what I was doing in the lab.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been entrusted to only one project during the summer. I was initially given two projects and because of that, I feel I could not get as in depth of an insight to the projects as I would have liked.

Advice

Know that saying no is ok! at least within Genentech. This was communicated to me by two of my managers, and I feel they are right. Had I been subjected to just one project, I could have achieved so much more. Instead of just validating assays, I could have gotten a chance to run actual patient samples. This would have made the overall experience so much more gratifying! Nonetheless, I had a spectacular time learn and expanding my horizons a Genentech.

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Emergency response specialist

May 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Excellent training and many opportunities for growth. Company also offers many summer internships in different departments.

What I wish was different

Intake takes a while to complete, as well as training so you need to start the process earlier than just summer.

Advice

Just apply!

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Software Engineering Intern

May 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Company culture and work-life balance

What I wish was different

Have a mentor

Advice

Always ask questions and learn how to utilize Google

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Development Science Intern

June - August 2019 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Ability to talk with anyone about their career trajectory

What I wish was different

I wish I was working with other interns on the same project

Advice

Work for a company even if you want to do graduate school so that you can understand the corporate world

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Quality Engineering and Validation Intern

June - September 2017 • Vacaville, CA

What I liked

The people and the atmosphere of the company were the most wonderful part of the experience. Everyone was so welcoming and positive. If you needed anything, there would always be a co-worker to turn to for help. The other interns were also great to interact with and I got to know so many new people from schools all over the country.

What I wish was different

If I had applied to more internships at Genentech, I could have chosen one that may have been more chemistry-based. I didn't know that I could apply to multiple internships within the company.

Advice

Be positive and try to help out wherever you can. The interns there are given so many resources and opportunities; take every one with gratitude and strive to be valuable by doing your job as effectively as possible.

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Reliability Engineering Intern

April - September 2018 • Hillsboro, OR

What I liked

I enjoyed my co-workers and the learning culture the company embraces.

What I wish was different

I wish the project I worked on for a majority of my internship was more applicable to my major (Chemical Engineering).

Advice

Do not be afraid to ask questions, you need to be able to ask questions well to be able to survive in the working world.

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Pharma Technical Operations Intern

June - August 2020 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Loved the intern community, felt valued by my manager and team.

What I wish was different

The online aspect made it difficult to communicate, I wish there had been more flow to this

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask questions

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Pharmaceutical Technical Development Intern

May - August 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Loved the company culture

What I wish was different

Wish there were more opportunities for return positions

Advice

Work hard and network hard - all the other interns are amazing people with amazing experiences

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Case Manager/Reimbursement Specialist

September 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

flexibility, cafeteria, wages

What I wish was different

better communication

Advice

do not do contracts because they are not stable

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Site Compliance Intern

June - September 2017 • Vacaville, CA

What I liked

I had opportunities almost daily to learn about other departments at the site while working with multiple groups to complete my own projects.

What I wish was different

I wish the internship was longer!

Advice

Take initiative to learn as much as you can. Contact people for informational interviews, and try to get tours of areas you have not seen before, if possible.

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Business Analyst Intern

June - August 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I loved learning about the different aspects of the drug pipeline at the world's largest pharmaceutical company. I am currently going into pharmaceutical management consulting, so this job really helped me find my passion for business strategy within the biotech space.

What I wish was different

I wish I had gotten more flexibility with projects and more access to leadership within my team. At such a large company, it can difficult to navigate a professional network so some more one-on-one mentorship would have been helpful.

Advice

Concentrate on networking if you intern at a large company. I spent too long trying to understand technical aspects of my job instead of asking the right people how to do so. Definitely don't wait until the last month to make connections!

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Project Coordinator

August 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I liked being involved with people in different departments.

What I wish was different

If I could be a project manager.

Advice

Work to your fullest.

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Reimbursement Specialist

June 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

They are large company that believes in their employees unique abilities, expereince and knowledge to apply and help solve issues with acess to affordable and effective mediciation.

What I wish was different

It could be a full time position, as I’m currently contracted with the company. However the experience still brings many opportunities

Advice

Be open to new experiences and take advantage of the many resources you have available. Whether it is the career center or using LinkedIn. Try your best to apply what you learn as you learn; networking is a skill that just takes practice too!

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Case Manager

January 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Interacting with patients

What I wish was different

More challenging

Advice

Find what you love to do and keep doing it.

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Process Engineer

June - September 2019 • Vacaville, CA

What I liked

The means to build connections.

What I wish was different

The extent of the role. I wish I had more time to learn other things.

Advice

Make the most and take on more than one project.

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Facilities IT Intern

June - September 2019 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Amazing benefits, beautiful campus, a wide variety of food options, friendly staff, flexible hours, accommodating facilities

What I wish was different

I wish I had a more structured plan of what my tasks were throughout the summer.

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask to shadow someone or ask to explore another role for a day.

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Architectural Intern

May - August 2023 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I love the flexibility of management. They wanted interns to utilize as much benefits as possible and network.

What I wish was different

I wish I had stricter deadlines.

Advice

Connect with as many people as possible.

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Manager Associate

June - July 2019 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

The environment

What I wish was different

The length of my internship

Advice

Make connections with people

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Mechanical Engineering Intern

June - December 2020 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Genentech has an entire program dedicated intern professional growth and transition into the company.

What I wish was different

I wish I was working in person, but due to the pandemic my entire time was remote.

Advice

Meet as many people as possible as everyone has valuable resources and connections to offer.

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Digital Pathology Intern

May - August 2021 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Really supportive and friendly, awesome company culture, great pay, impactful work

What I wish was different

Advice

Genentech is an awesome place to go if you're interested in biotech especially R&D side, and make sure to take initiative and ask for things to do. It'll be an awesome experience working there:)

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